[Temporomandibular joint septic arthritis with secondary condylar resorption]. / Arthrite septique temporomandibulaire avec résorption condylienne secondaire.

INTRODUCTION: Septic arthritis are serious infections rarely observed for the temporomandibular joint. They are mainly hematogenous or transmitted by contiguity. OBSERVATION: Our patient presents the case of an infection of the temporomandibular joint by maxillary sinusitis of dental origin further complicated by cerebral abscess and empyema. Initial treatment consisted of an endonasal and intraoral drainage, intravenous empirical antibiotic therapy, a close clinicoradiological monitoring, and rehabilitation following a long-term active physiotherapy. Furthermore, the patient reported the onset of a dental articulation disorder with a left side premature contact and right lateral open bite, corresponding to a significant left condylar resorption. DISCUSSION: This infectious disease is very rare for temporomandibular location; however, its general and functional outcome is determined by the precocity of the treatment. It is important to know the diagnosis and the associated symptoms even if they are not very specifically described. It is essential to consider the diagnosis when facing atypical pain of the temporomandibular joint associated with trismus.

An intriguing case of locked jaw secondary to melioidosis.

A 56-year-old woman presented with fever, pain and restriction of movement of the right temporomandibular joint. She was premorbidly diagnosed to have type 2 diabetes mellitus and rheumatoid arthritis. Local examination revealed a poorly demarcated severely tender, erythematous swelling in the right preauricular region. All haematological and biochemical investigations were within normal limits. MRI of the neck revealed the presence of a masticator space infection with intramuscular abscess involving the masseter and the temporalis muscles along with intracranial extension. Osteomyelitic changes were detected in the right mandibular condyle, temporal bone and in the temporomandibular joint. Melioidosis was suspected due to this unique clinical presentation of an abscess at an unusual and atypical site. Blood cultures identified the Gram-negative bacilli Burkholderia pseudomallei, which established the diagnosis of Melioidosis. Remarkable improvement was attained with antibiotics meropenem and cotrimoxazole, deferring the need for any surgical intervention.

[Infectious temporomandibular arthritis. Apropos of a case in an adult]. / Arthrite infectieuse temporo-mandibulaire. A propos d'un cas chez l'adulte.

Imagery revealed osteitis of the base of the skull in a 37-year-old patient with infectious arthritis of the temporomandibular joint. The characteristics of this rare pathology were recalled from a review of the literature.

Effects of leukemogenic retroviruses on condylar cartilage in vitro: an ultrastructural study.

Mandibular condyles of late embryonic NMRI mice were used in an in vitro organ culture system to study the effect of bone tumor-derived murine leukemia viruses OS-5 MuLV and OA MuLV known to induce osteopetrosis and osteomas. Skeletal precursor cells present in the condylar tissue normally undergo rapid differentiation in vitro which results in new bone formation. The infection of condyles with either OS-5 MuLV or OA MuLV markedly interfered with the normal developmental pattern of the organ leading to the formation of an atypical, heavily mineralized tissue. Many spindlelike cells and pleomorphic cells were encountered, whereas fibroblastlike cells were found to penetrate an underlying collagen substratum. These observations indicate that bone tumor-inducing leukemogenic retroviruses directly affect cartilage and/or bone precursor cells resulting in pathologic developments in the skeleton.